Every Aayah ..contains a mystery from God.

To seek it, one's heart must be opened up, ..to His Divine Light.

Blooming flowers at night,

Are appreciated,
Only under the moonlight..

-Zaynal Âbidîn(TCOTQ)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For hours on end when she had nothing to do, she would sit here at her musallah, her pale lips, busying in the adoration of her Ilah.

In constant dhikr.. she had found the peace in her, that once was lost.

This day however, as she sat here, she had suddenly reminisced about someone from the past. One who had been her light from the darkness she had once been in..

She still remembered that day...

That day, she had been weeping, her voice coarse from constant lamentations. She couldn't cry anymore..

"Give me back my son.." Her voice trailed lowly to the man in resignation, his back, turned to her.

She held the hem of his white thobe, and that was what prevented him from leaving.

After all, he had advised her that her tears wouldn't bring the boy back.

"He's gone already.."The scholarly man said to her, his tone grave, but his eyes had a look of pity to them.

"Why?.."She murmured, more to herself than the man.

"He had to,"The man voice was clear, and firm. It seemed he endorsed the idea of her son being taken from her.

"None of you had the right, ..to decide his future."She said, her voice broken.

"And you did?"

She couldn't answer that. She was guilty.., and she knew it from the depths of her soul.

"Your boy would return in shaa Allah.. He only needs time to let go of his past, and.. to forgive himself.

You've already heard of the matter of the Labyrinth Tragedy..?"

"It couldn't be.." ..true, was what she wanted to say. She had no memory of it.

But the grave look in the man's eyes said it all.

Her eyes lowered in self-blame. Guilt enwrapped her soul. That was when she came to realize, ..the damage her negligence had wreaked on her own son.

"Ruknii.."She sobbed.

"You should be grateful to Allah. He was one of those who survived among those who weren't possessed. Many died that day.

Many more were injured."The man turned to face her.

"Allah has given your son so many chances, - at life, and at redemption.

It's His favour He wraps around whomever He wills.."He smiled, happy that his student was graced by the Rabb in so many ways. He knew. For he had seen it.

The boy was blessed by Allah. Because of him, many of them had accepted Islam that day.

Even he, - a famous scholar.. His only encounter with them was to exorcise. Nothing else.

He had only ever called humans to Al Islam, - never jinns. Even when he did while they possessed a body, how many of them obeyed?

They had a completely different nature and temperament from humans..

Everyone of them knew the true details of the story, - those of them at the top. Even the boy's mother had been informed of the things that happened in her state of unawareness.

But nobody else knew. For it had been covered up. There were yet some people who denied the existence of the jinn anyway..

"It's amazing, isn't it?"The man looked up the tree crown. They were at the graveyard. She had followed him there in sorry states. But he couldn't do anything. She was a grieving mother after all.

Who only came to normalcy once she lost her son. The time he needed her, she didn't stay strong. The time he no more was there, she flicked back to awareness.

"What is?"asked she.

"Sometimes the husband is given, and the wife is deprived.. Sometimes the wife is given, and the husband is deprived.." He recited some verses of the Qur'an.

She knew them well, ..from her health days.. Surah Tahrim.. The last verses..

Allah gave the example of the wives of Nuh and Lut, alayhimus-salaam. They were prophets, ..guided. But their wives fell into depravity.

Then, He mentioned the example of 'Aasiyah, the wife of Fir'awn. The wife was raised to a position of honour in Allah's presence, while Fir'awn fell to the pits of Hell..

"Sometimes, the parents receive what the child fails, ..to inherit.."His voice sounded like a sigh as he recited some verses to her.

The verses he recited were from Surah Kahf, where Musa and Khidr, alayhimus-salaam came across a child, whom Khidr said would lead his pious parents astray.

"And even sometimes, the child is given, when the parents are not.." His voice trailed in the verses of Surah Maryam where Ibrahim alayhis-salaam, told his father "..laa ta'budish-Shaytaan.." Do not worship the devil..

"Iman and the path to Allah are open, for us all to tread. That day, we will all stand alone.

..Neither children nor wealth would benefit, except him who comes to his Lord with a pure heart.."

She remembered those Aayat, - Surah Shu'araa.

"..yawma laa yanfa'u maalun wa laa banûn ..illaa man 'ataallaha bi qalbin saliim.."She recited, dazed.

"Why tarry you on your way to your Lord?"The scholar smiled kindly. The woman was lost in thought.

"Perhaps your son was taken from you for a reason.." His voice whispered,"perhaps, ..as a grace.. So you'd reflect, and return to Him.."

"The path is difficult..The trials are harder with each step taken, ..to draw closer to Him.."She whispered, more to herself. But he heard.

"It never has been easy.."He said, reciting to her.

"Wa hadaynaahun Najdayn..
Falaqtahamal 'aqabah..(And have shown him the two ways? But he has not attempted through the difficult pass..)

But remember also, He's the same Lord who has said,

Walladhîna jaahadûfiinaa lanahdiyannahum Subulanaa...(And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to our ways... )"

"Even Ilahi knows the path is steep.." She whispered to herself.
But He has also promised ease...

Her Lord understood the difficulty of the path.. Even He knew.. He understood her difficulty ..her pain ..Perhaps He would understand why she fell, ..her burdens within her heart, ..her fragility.. "Would He accept me, ..if I return?.."asked she.

It was like an internal discussion, and yet, the scholar was there to give her answers..

"If you're sincere to Him.."He smiled.

"Perhaps, I'll show you something that might be of benefit to you.."

She listened calmly as he told her those words.

...

"As long as you continue hoping in Him.. One day your son might return to you ..in a beautiful reunion.. In shaa Allah."He smiled brightly at her. The noon sun seemed to halo him so he appeared like a saint, and this, - merely a dream. But it was real as she was.

One where, - she attained redemption.

"Laa ilaaha illaa anta..Subhaanaka innee kuntum minaz-Zaalimîn..(There's none worship but You..Glorified are You! Indeed, I've been of the wrongdoers.."She sighed."The call of Yunus, alayhis salaam, from within three darkness. Yet, Allah heard him..

..So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers."

But even as she smiled gratefully to Allah, for sending her a guide, her smile dropped halfway, a look of pain had suddenly bombarded her chest. So she held her bosom in intense pain.

She reached for her medications, which were always nearby for her, whenever she faced such situations.

Even in the calmness and safety of her luxurious home, she felt as one suddenly faced with a perilous situation.

Having taken the medications, the woman looked at her clear image in the glass cabinet, where the Qur'ans were neatly stacked. It was the same green eyes...

A memory flashed within her mind,
..a child looking at her from on his knees. And her eyes just stared into space, ignoring him..

If there was anything she'd regret for the remainder of her lifetime, it was this; ignoring her son at the moment he most needed her.

"Ruknii"

•••

Arkaan stood with the group comprising Arafat and the little kids. Behind them was a mountain, wrapped all over on that side by the largest bee swarm he had ever seen.

In front of them, were the group of Khidr. It looked like they weren't going to leave them any time soon.

Even as he began thinking, chaotic emotions filled him due to the intense sense of danger.

He had wanted to warn Khidr's group of the bees. But it was at that time he heard it.

"It's going to rain soon.."The voice purrs into his ears. He doesn't know whether he really heard it, or it came from within him, a voice like a whisper, sweet as honey, yet only his ears felt the taste.

But when he turned, there was no one there. All it did was to distract him.

"I might as well save them the trouble."Khidr's smug smile of victory fades into his thoughts.

"Heavily.. You ought to leave. Now!"The voice rises a bass higher. It suddenly feels strangely familiar. Especially, in that commanding tone.

"Hah!"Arkaan turns back once again at the urgency, a creepy feeling sends his spine shivering, but he sees nothing.

He sees the people around him. He hears Khidr talking, but he's suddenly oblivious of his surrounding.

A profound sense of dread and danger penetrates every bone within him, and he's looking around. Hoping to catch what was bringing that foreboding.

It was then he saw it.

"Arafat.. Don't swat it,"His voice comes out as a whisper in his own ears. But he knew clearly that he'd be ignored.

Too late. He sees the boy satisfyingly swat the bee to death multiple times.

His entire body breaks out in cold sweat.

..Mortified of what's to come. Perhaps, this is something he'd never imagined to face in his life before.

When he feels a bee headbutt him, he takes it as the signal..

The hive-mates were approaching the scene of the crime..

"Guys.."His voice comes out once again, - coarse, the foreboding of mortal danger,

"RUN"

It was a full-scale attack; The entire beehive.. and the bees were maddened, more like kids on steroids!

No one needed any warning from anyone. A maelstrom had broken out, and everyone was in a frenzy.

Running here and there, no one cared for another, not from Khidr's group, nor from Arkaan's group.

From the mountaintop, Shad looked at the mayhem unfold before his eyes, a mischievous gleam filled his eyes. His lips turned up in a playful grin.

Ukashah, Zak, and Haru had already left. Perhaps, waiting for the group at the masjid, where they'd open the trapdoor.

Arkaan's movement is quick, but even then, his eyes scan for everyone, in his group and Khidr's group.

Even in the fear, he knows that there were children there with them. Most of them had fled into the fray, following Arafat and the group from Khidr, all mixed.

There's one small boy who just stands there, stunned by the sheer amount of bees.

The whole valley was cast in a dark shadow..

Arkaan was swift, as he groped low to pick the boy up in a piggyback, his eyes still on the dark cloud.

Why was everything looking similar to him?..

Shad looked down the mountaintop sombrely. He's sure to remember. Even if it's only a patch of a memory..

Arkaan took his keffiyeh and wrapped all around the small boy, completely protecting his head from the onslaught.

An image flashed in his mind.

He saw a girl, of a smaller body than his, in all black. She stood with her back towards him.

His body crouched down to protect the child below. Her body moved in, becoming their shield.

Blood spluttered upon both, the deep blush of red. Yet it was not his own...

Blood dripping...

Arkaan was stuck in a daze as he watched the midnight butterfly struck, its gossamer wings maimed from the frail body.

Only one word came to his mind. One word murmured from his lips. One word that brought him a lot of sorrow, for this seemingly stranger he did not know.

"Junnah.."His mind blanked.

He suddenly regained perception of his surroundings. They were in danger.

When he started moving, swiftly, he had no particular direction in mind.

Everyone had dispersed, but there was no way out. The valley was surrounded. Some were running in groups, some were lone.

Everyone was in a helter-skelter.

The bees seemed to understand the situation and had split, each group had its swarm.

"CHARLATANS!!!"Khidr calls out whilst running in one direction. Arkaan happened to follow that same path, moving in parallel to Khidr, with the boy.

The bees that followed Arkaan and the boy, weren't much to be worried out. They seemed to be thinning out by the moment.

Khidr particularly had a lot of bees chasing him.

Even as Arkaan suddenly ran pass the old man, his final swarm of bees joined Khidr's, freeing him from any swarm.
But he didn't stop running..

As he moved ahead of Khidr, the old man sent a glare of intense hate towards him. If looks could kill, Arkaan probably would have been dead a countless number of times!

"South district halaqah! You and I, Our grievances are irreconcilable!!!"The old man shrieks, his fury rising to the heavens. But Arkaan knew nobody would be having the mind for his words at the moment. He wasn't..

He was at a loss though, and completely out of ideas.

Khidr was heading towards the west, to Kawthar's tributary. And so were they.

No, the water won't do..He thought.

He ran across, wading through the river to the other side, much like the other time. Only this time, there were bees everywhere, even where he was fleeing to.

For some reason, he looked back to Khidr.

Khidr ran up to the river, and without so much as a second thought, he jumped into the stream.

Probably trying to outwit the bees, the old man didn't come up back, staying underwater.

No.. These were killer bees. There was no way they were going to leave. He would only stay underwater for so long. Being under water wasn't going to help! He knew this, but the old man obviously didn't..

He watched the swarm gather above the stream, till they almost fully covered entire width of the stream, under which was Khidr.

They were at a safe distance.

Drats! I'm going to regret this later. Arkaan intoned as he removed his white thobe, having put the boy down.

All this while the boy hadn't uttered one word. Probably from fear. Arkaan sighed.

"Everything will be alright." He said, his voice filled with reassurance as he faced the fear-filled face of the boy.

He smeared his thobe in the most nimble movements, with all kinds of the sweet things he'd purchased. Using every last bit.

This was a bait not to be resisted!

Thinking this, Arkaan hurled the parcel across the river, right through the swarm. The thobe, weighed by all the greasy stuff and their containers, flew unto the other bank, landing a distance into Mt. Shirah's forest.

Having distracted the bees, he dived into the stream and pulled the almost drowning man out.

"Y-you you ruined my plan!" The old man yelled.

Alhamdulillaah! Arkaan sighed. He's still breathing. For a moment there, I thought I'd have to do a mouth-to-mouth. Phewh!

Even as the man struggled to catch a breath amidst curses and swearing, Arkaan had another flashback.

The girl was laughing brightly, moving through the tunnels.

"We made this place.."

"Who?"

She didn't respond, her back towards him as they moved deeper into the maze. He only saw her black apparel, completely covering her.

"If you follow that path,"She pointed her gloved hand gently in one direction,

"You'll reach masjidur-Rahmân.."She laughed, her voice ringing.

"Arkaan.." She turned to face him.

...her face was veiled.

But he saw her eyes.

"They are the same as her!" Arkaan gasped, his mind hit with shock as he suddenly had the image of the girl, who's eyes resembled the veiled girl.
The uncanny resemblance couldn't be mistaken..

For some time, he was paralyzed with fear. Things were not making sense.

"Are- y-you al-right" The little boy spoke in fear, looking into the emerald eyes which were filled with fright at the time.

"I'm." Arkaan's words came as a murmur, even as he stared into space.

But why was she called Junnah in the flashback?

"That can't hold them back for long!"Khidr's loud voice brought him back to reality.

The others were in danger too. They needed to help them.

At this critical moment, he had a flash of inspiration. He was not sure how true the memory of the veiled girl was. But he could try...

•••

In shaa Allah, next Crescent will be during the weekend:)

Fee Amanillah!

___________________________________

Surah Tahrim, 66:10-11

Surah Kahf, 18:80-81

Surah Maryam, 19:44

Shu'araa, 26:88-89

Surah Balad, 90:10-11(A Commentary)

Iqtiham means to apply oneself to a hard and toilsome task, and 'aqabah is the steep path that passes through mountains for ascending heights. Thus, the verse means: One of the two paths that We have shown him, leads to heights but is toilsome and steep; man has to tread it against the desires of his self and the temptations of Satan. The other path is easy which descends into chasms, but does not require any toil from man; one only needs to give free reins to himself, then he automatically goes on rolling down the abyss. Now, the man to whom We had shown both the paths, adopted the easy down-hill path and abandoned the toilsome path, which leads to the heights.

Surah Anbiyaa',21:87-88(The dua of Yunus, alayhis salaam and its subsequent verse.)